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Sunday, April 24, 2011

The World is My Oyster Plant די װעלט איז מײַן ציגן־בערדל

BeholdThis is salsify, or oyster plant. The images from the 19th century Russian botanical dictionary are reproduced from Joyce Toomre's translation of Elene Molokhovets' Gift for Young Housewives. While gefilte fish is not mentioned in War and Peace, it is in Molokhovets.
I made Lena Braun's salsify gefilte fish here. This is not a translation of that recipe, but an adaptation based on her idea of using salsify as the main ingredient. The Yiddish word for salsify is "ציגן בערדל" tsign-berdl although Braun calls it "אױסטער־פּלנט" oyster-plent

Peel and trim the salsify and cook the until quite soft, about 40 minutes. I had about one pound cooked salsify left after trimming. Grind the cooked salsify in a processor with the cashews, matzo meal and half of the onion.
Lightly beat the eggs, and blend in the salsify-mixture.
Bring water to a simmer with the remaining half onion and the carrots in a wide shallow pot. Form the salsify mixture into quenelles and poach for one hour. Serve cold with a slice of carrot and some horseradish.

These beets appeared previously in some khumetsdik company, but I wanted them to be more easily searchable for peysekh, so here they are. Try the vinaigrette that goes so nicely with Jerusalem Artichokes. You do want to try these.Roasted Beets Vinaigrette

Clean but do not peel beets. Wrap them well in aluminum foil and place them in a hot oven. If you have beets of very different sizes, maybe make a packet with the bigger ones and another packet with the smaller ones. Roast until done (depending on size and age 40 minutes to over an hour) test for doneness by sliding a bamboo skewer into the package (you don't have tounwrap them to do this).Allow the beets to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Now cut off the tops and tails and slide off the skins. The feeling of skin sliding off a roast beet is one of my very dearest pleasures. Cut the beets into slices or cubes and dress with oil, vinegar and salt. Add minced dill, cilantro or parsley.

About Me

In Mol Araan: A blog about food and words in Yiddish and English including but not limited to cooking, recipes, culinary lexicography, delights and curiosities of the plant world, and cookbooks [Scroll down for English content] email: inmolaraan at gmail dot com